Doubront making effective use of his cutter

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Felix Doubront used to have to pretend he wasn’t throwing his cutter.

By BRIAN MacPHERSON | | Journal Sports Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Felix Doubront used to have to pretend hewasn't throwing his cutter.

So as not to neglect the development of his other pitches,Doubront was told to limit the number of cut fastballs he threw ineach start while he was in the minor leagues. That didn't mean healways followed instructions.

"I remember one game where nothing was working for me, just thefastball," he said in spring training. "(Triple-A pitching coach)Rich Sauveur had told me, 'Don't throw many cutters. Just one ortwo per hitter.' …

"I threw my first cutter in the third inning. It was prettygood. The hitters looked like, 'Oh, (no).' I threw like sevencutters in a row - fastball, cutter, fastball, cutter. I startedgetting, 'Oh, my God. This pitch is pretty good today, and I didn'teven know it.' (Sauveur) was like, 'Did you throw a cutter?' Isaid, 'No, a sinker.' "

Now that he's pitching in the major leagues, Doubront doesn'thave to pretend anymore. His job is not to work on his pitches, butto get outs.

And in his start last Saturday against the Cleveland Indians -as lefty-heavy a lineup as he'll face all year - Doubront unleashedhis cutter like he never has before.

The lefty had thrown just 35 cutters in his first six starts, anaverage of fewer than six per outing. He threw a season-high 21cutters on Saturday alone - 10 to lefties, 11 to righties.

Contrast that to his curveball and his changeup, normally hispreferred secondary pitches: He threw just six changeups and twocurveballs all night.

When he wanted to go away from his fastball, he went to hiscutter. He struck out Carlos Santana swinging at his cutter.

"It was one of my main pitches to both lefties and righties," hesaid on Wednesday at Tropicana Field, one day before he'll faceTampa Bay. "I was feeling pretty good. I was feeling like it wasdominant, the feeling of the cutter. I could throw it to the handsof the righties and away to the lefties."

What was particularly interesting about the way Doubront threwhis cutter Saturday was how much it looked like a slider at times.That wasn't an illusion.

"My cutter, sometimes I threw it like a slider - sometimesslower," he said. "A couple of hitters didn't like those pitches.They'd swing for a slider. I was being careful of throwing it withwhat hitter, in what situation, what count."

As was the case with his cutter in the minor leagues, Doubronthas to be careful with how much he throws his more slider-esquecutter in the majors.

"I just have to be careful because the slider can hurt myelbow," he said, pointing to the ligaments on the inside of his armso precious to pitchers.

But the pitch worked. Of the four slower slider-esque cuttersDoubront threw, two resulted and swings and misses and one in acalled strike.

His cutter is still a work in progress - just like everythingelse in his repertoire. He takes a 4.46 ERA with 37 strikeouts and17 walks into his start Thursday opposite Rays lefty Matt Moore.His strikeout rate ranks him sixth in the major leagues, one spotahead of reigning Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander.

But it looked Saturday like the cutter could be yet anotherweapon.

"Sometimes I try to throw it too perfect, and it goes out of thezone, down in the dirt, whatever," he said. "Sometimes it workslike that. Sometimes it's just right there for a strike and I cando something with that pitch."